fairy floss
by smileysgoboing
Summary: itasaku fluff. non-mass au. drabble series. (technically part of my non-mass au but can be read alone)
1. hair

"Long day?" Sakura asked, looking up from where she was sprawled on the couch.

Itachi simply nodded, kicking off his shoes impatiently before he flopped down next to her. The movement took the weight off his feet and he sighed, relishing the peace and quiet of the apartment. It was small and cosy; comforting in that he could sense no one but Sakura, and her very presence was a balm to his nerves.

Sakura made a sympathetic noise before she tugged lightly on his arm, patting the cushion on her lap invitingly. He obliged easily and lay down, a grateful smile tugging at the corners of his lips even as he ignored the fact that the couch was too short for him. Sakura smiled in return, one of her hands brushing against his cheek in a tender gesture that made his breath catch in his throat.

Then she slowly, delicately, threaded her fingers through his hair, combing gently through the long strands until she reached the ends. Itachi nearly melted when she repeated the movement, fingertips grazing his scalp before she worked his ponytail free from beneath him. He sighed quietly when she pulled the hair tie free, enjoying the sensation of unbound hair. No doubt it was messy and tangled from his mission, but Sakura was patient as she tugged softly at the numerous knots, her hands feather-light as she brushed stray strands away from his face.

Itachi let his eyes flutter shut at her careful attention, He was only vaguely aware of the way her fingers twined through his hair – pulling and twisting and stroking and lulling him to sleep – but he was content to lose himself in the sound of her soft, even breathing and the familiar scent of her skin.

Sakura, he realised, would always be home for him.

* * *

"Move out," Itachi ordered, pulling his mask on swiftly.

"Hai, taichou," his teammates murmured, bowing slightly as Itachi turned away. His hair whipped around with the motion, and there was the slightest pause, in which the other three ANBU operatives glanced at each other, at their captain and then back to each other in silent agreement. ANBU Cat inclined her head a fraction, and then they were off.

None of them mentioned the neat braid behind Itachi's right ear.

* * *

 **keeping things short and sweet and fluffy - hence the title "fairy floss" (aka cotton candy)**

 **updates will be sporadic but I hope you enjoy reading :)**


	2. pink

Sakura shut the door behind her with a quiet click. Itachi had only come out of surgery a few hours ago, but she didn't want to risk startling him, so she took slow, deliberate steps, letting her heels click against the floor to alert him of her presence.

"Sakura?" Itachi's voice was hoarse, hardly more than a whisper as she sat down in the chair by his bed, gaze flickering around the setup approvingly. He blinked up at her blearily, pupils dilated and not quite focused on her.

"Hey," she said softly, taking one of his hands and squeezing it gently. "You just came out of surgery. How are you feeling?"

"Tired," he mumbled, brow furrowing in consternation. "Everything feels…far away?"

"You're still on a lot of drugs after your surgery," Sakura explained softly, inwardly amused by his talkativeness. "They'll wear off in a few hours, so you can just sleep them off, okay?" She smiled, patting his arm reassuringly and stood up, but Itachi curled his fingers around hers and held on.

"No, wait," he protested, words slightly slurred. "Don't leave."

Caught off guard, Sakura sat back down and smiled ruefully at his clinginess. "Okay."

She waited for Itachi to say something else, but there was only silence; despite his apparent drowsiness, he continued to stare at her guilelessly. After a few moments of his careful scrutiny, Sakura tucked a strand of hair behind her ears self-consciously. "Is something wrong?"

Itachi blinked at her. "Your hair is beautiful," he said earnestly, his expression so serious she had to hide a smile. "The colour of your hair is very unique. It is…" He hesitated, visibly struggling to find the words to express himself. "…fascinating. Your hair fascinates me, Sakura. It is truly incredible."

"Ah, thanks, Itachi," Sakura said, just a touch wryly. His words were sweet, but she was more impressed by his ability to say that all with a straight face. She'd had no idea that Itachi had liked her hair that much until now. "You should probably sleep."

"Alright," he agreed mildly, giving her one last look as if to memorise her appearance before letting his eyes fall shut.

Sakura smiled fondly at him and leaned down to press a kiss to his cheek. "Sleep well, Itachi," she whispered, brushing a few strands of hair away from his face.

Itachi caught her hand loosely as she stood and turned to leave. "Sakura…"

She glanced back at him. "Yes?"

"I hope our children have your hair," he said softly, and uncurled his fingers from hers. "Goodnight, Sakura."


	3. homecoming

Sakura paused when she reached her floor, grimly registering an unknown – and therefore unwelcome – presence in her apartment. Chakra swirled through her hands as she curled them into fists; her heart began to race in her chest but her footsteps faded into nothing as she crept along the hallway, listening for any sign the intruder had sensed her approach.

She took one, two, three soundless steps towards her apartment before she recognised the chakra signature, and sighed sheepishly. Her own presence had been suppressed and she flared it slightly once she was at the door before calling out. "Itachi?"

Almost before she'd finished speaking, her front door was open and he was standing before her. "Sakura," he said, and his voice was low and slightly uneven.

She had to swallow a lump in her throat at the sight of him – weeks of being guarded and hyperaware of all threats had taken a toll on her mind and body, and although passing through Konoha's gates had eased some of that tension, it hadn't quite hit her that she was safe and _home_ until she saw him.

"I'm back," Sakura said, and smiled brightly as she threw her arms around him. Itachi held her just as tightly, pulling her closely until she could rest her head against him. She felt him do the same and let her eyes fall shut, relishing the familiar weight on her shoulder.

She opened her eyes when Itachi pulled back, cool air rushing to fill the space between them. Frowning slightly, she tilted her head upwards only for Itachi to lean down and touch his forehead to hers. The gesture was almost frighteningly tender, and Sakura let her eyes fall shut as she felt him breathe deeply before beginning to unwind his arms from around her. She tightened her own grip around him in response, but Itachi simply brought his hands up to cup her face, thumbs stroking her cheeks gently before he pressed a soft, sweet kiss to her lips.

Sakura made a complaining noise when he pulled back, entwining her arms around his neck to tug him back down. Itachi was all too happy to comply, one of his hands cupping the back of her head as he kissed her once more.

"Tadaima," Sakura said softly. _I'm home._

Itachi brushed a strand of hair away from her face and smiled gently. "Okaeri, Sakura."

 _Welcome home._


	4. braid

There was a small tug on the hem of Itachi's shirt, followed by a hushed voice. "Is Mama still sleeping?"

"Yes, Ryoko." Itachi smiled reassuringly at his daughter, and with his free hand, reached down to brush her hair away from her face. "She's very tired from her hospital shift last night."

"And that's why you're making breakfast today," Ryoko concluded.

"That's right," Itachi agreed, poking her forehead lightly. "It will be ready soon, so please sit down."

She giggled, covering her forehead protectively, and took her seat. "Thanks, Papa!" she chirped, eagerly eyeing the dishes he placed in front of her.

"You're welcome, Ryoko-chan. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Ryoko chewed thoughtfully. "Can you do the pretty braids that Mama always does? I can tie my hair up by myself but I can't braid it," she said sadly.

"Of course," Itachi said patiently. He'd managed his own hair for years; Ryoko's shoulder-length hair would be simple enough to do. How hard could braiding be?

* * *

" _Papa_ …"

Judging from the pout he could see in the mirror, Ryoko was not impressed by his efforts. It seemed that Itachi had severely underestimated how difficult braiding could be, especially when it came to his daughter's exacting standards.

"Aa, my apologies, Ryoko-chan," Itachi said, eyeing the knotted mess warily. "I still don't quite understand the process but I'll try again."

The look she gave him could only be described as doubtful, but Itachi was determined to succeed in this simple task. Before he could make another attempt at braiding, however, he would first have to untangle her hair – which, unfortunately, was beginning to look like a long, difficult process.

"Papa!" Ryoko yelped, her hands flying to the section of hair he'd been trying to salvage. He froze, cursing inwardly – just as he thought he was starting to get the hang of it…

"Ryoko–"

"Is everything alright?"

Both father and daughter whipped their heads to the doorway where Sakura was standing, arms crossed and eyebrow raised. To Itachi's embarrassment, her gaze landed squarely on where his fingers were now entwined in Ryoko's hair.

"Mama!" Ryoko beamed, her frustration seemingly forgotten. Itachi took the opportunity to carefully – but quickly – untangle his fingers, smiling somewhat nervously at his wife as he did. "Papa pulled my hair when he was trying to braid it and it hurt! I don't like it when he does my hair, can you do it instead Mama? Please?" she added, catching the reprimanding look in Sakura's eyes.

"Of course, Ryoko-chan," Sakura said warmly, but she smirked slightly as she continued speaking. "I'm sure you father didn't meant to hurt you – he just didn't know what he was doing."

Defeated, Itachi could only manage a wry smile as he let Sakura take his seat behind their daughter. The ease with which she dealt with the mess was admirable, her fingers deftly smoothing out and untangling all the knots. Ryoko's blatant preference for her mother's expertise wounded him a little, even if he understood exactly why, but it was his own ineptitude that was the last blow to his pride. He, Uchiha Itachi, couldn't even manage to braid his daughter's hair…but that didn't mean he couldn't learn from his mistakes.

Standing to the side, he watched intently as Sakura began to section off Ryoko's hair, and hoped that neither of them would notice the flash of red in his reflection's gaze.

* * *

"Where's Mama?" Ryoko demanded frantically. "I need her to do my hair."

"She's busy," Itachi answered. "I can do your hair, if you like."

Ryoko eyed him doubtfully. "…How long will she be?"

"I am more than capable of doing your hair, Ryoko-chan," Itachi said dryly. "Sit down, please."

He couldn't help but wince when he saw Ryoko had shut her eyes in anticipation, but in less than five minutes her expression had changed completely.

"Wow!" Ryoko turned her head from side to side, admiring his handiwork gleefully. "I love it, Papa, it looks so nice! Thank you!"

When Sakura emerged from the bedroom, Itachi busied himself with tidying up and coincidentally managed to miss the unimpressed look she shot him when Ryoko ran up to her, gushing about how much her Papa had improved.


End file.
